2021 Climate Jobs Summit
AGENDA SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
9:30 AM Welcome, Purpose, and Review of the Day- Gary LaBarbara, President, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and New York State Building and Construction Trades Council & Climate Jobs NY
- Michael Fishman, President and Executive Director, Climate Jobs National Resource Center
- Maulian Dana, Tribal Ambassador, Penobscot Nation
- Eric Dean, General President International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW)
- Lily Gardner, Sunrise Movement member
- Aliya Haq, Vice President, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
- Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association (NEA)
- Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
CJNRC Video
10:15 AM Ali Zaidi, Deputy White House National Climate Advisor
10:30 AM American Jobs Plan: Impact & Opportunities for Clean Energy and Good Jobs
- Moderator: Lara Skinner, Director, Labor Leading on Climate Initiative, Worker Institute at Cornell University ILR School
- Marilyn Brown, Director, Georgia Tech, Climate and Energy Policy Laboratory
- John Cartwright, President, Toronto/York Labour Council (Retired)
- John Doherty, Special Assistant to the General President, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
- John Podesta, Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors, Center for American Progress (CAP)
- Chris Shelton, President, Communication Workers of America (CWA)
12:00 PM Break
12:15 PM Equity and Good Jobs in a Clean Economy: State Strategies for Winning Labor Standards and Equity in Opportunity
- Moderator: Vincent Alvarez, President, New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO & Climate Jobs NY
- Priscilla De La Cruz, Senior Director, Government Affairs at Audubon Society of Rhode Island, President of the Environment Council of Rhode Island, Co-host Climate Jobs Illinois
- Aziz Dehkan, Executive Director and Lead Organizer, Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs
- Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO & Climate Jobs Illinois
- Cynthia Phinney, President, Maine State Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
- Melissa Shetler, Executive Director, Pathways to Apprenticeship
1:45 PM Two Concurrent Panel Discussions:
Building Carbon Free and Healthy Schools
- Moderator: Nikki Budzinski, Advisor, Climate Jobs National Resource Center
- Joseph Bryant, President, Service Employees International Union, Local 1021 (SEIU)
- Seanelle Leesang, Science Teacher, IS 68 Brooklyn, United Federation of Teachers (UFT)
- JP Patafio, Bus Operator/VP Transportation Workers Union Local 100 (TWU) & Climate Jobs NY
- Anil Singh, 2021 NYC public schools graduate, Sunrise Movement member
- Justin Thompson, Senior Policy Analyst, National Education Association (NEA)
- Gina Walsh, Deputy Director of Heat and Frost Insulators Cooperative Trust & Climate Jobs Illinois Executive Board
Building a Robust, Equitable Offshore Wind Industry in the U.S.
- Moderator: Lee Smith, Managing Member, American Solar Partners (ASP)
- Hae-Lin Choi, New York State Political Director, Communications Workers of America District 1 (CWA)
- Doreen Harris, President and Chief Executive Officer, NY Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
- Eric Hines, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University
- David Langlais, Business Manager, Iron Workers Local 137 (IW)
- Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM)
- Grant Provost, Business Agent, Iron Workers Local 7 (IW)
3:15 PM Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor
3:40 PM Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO
3:50 PM Closing and Call to Action
Kyle Bragg, President, Service Employees International Union, 32BJ (SEIU) & Climate Jobs NY
4:00 PM Adjourn
EPA Assistant Administrator Nominations: Amanda Howe for Mission Support, David Uhlmann for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and Carlton Waterhouse for Land and Emergency Management
On Wednesday, August 4, at 10:00 AM ET, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing on three of President Biden’s nominees to key positions at the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Amanda Howe to be Assistant Administrator for Mission Support of the Environmental Protection Agency
- David Uhlmann to be Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Carlton Waterhouse to be Assistant Administrator of Land and Emergency Management of the Environmental Protection Agency
Uhlmann, nominated to be the chief enforcement officer at EPA, served for 17 years as a federal prosecutor, including seven years as chief of the Environmental Crimes Section at the U.S. Department of Justice.
At the end of the 2020 election season, Uhlmann wrote of the urgency to enact sweeping climate legislation:The United States may soon have the chance, for the first time in more than a decade, to enact urgently needed legislation to address global climate change—but only if Democrats don’t repeat the mistakes they made at the start of the Obama administration.
The top corporate-polluter law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth warned that Uhlmann’s nomination “is a very strong signal of how serious” the Biden administration’s intention to “increase environmental enforcement” is, and that “companies should prioritize review of environmental compliance and performance and remain vigilant.”
Waterhouse, a Howard University law school graduate and professor, is an “an international expert on environmental law and environmental justice, as well as reparations and redress for historic injustices.” He served as an EPA lawyer from 1991 to 2000. If confirmed, he will oversee the Superfund and related programs.
Nominations of Geraldine Richmond to be Under Secretary for Science, and Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be Director of the Office of Science, both of the Department of Energy, and Cynthia Weiner Stachelberg to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior
The purpose of the hearing is to consider the nominations of:
- Dr. Geraldine Richmond to be Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy
- Cynthia Weiner Stachelberg to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Policy, Management, and Budget)
- Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy
Environmental concerns about adequate clean water resources have increasingly become more global with the recognition that unwanted chemicals in the atmosphere, in our soils and in our surface waters often transport well beyond the national boundaries of origin. As a result, there is a growing international urgency to understand environmental issues that can cross boundaries with climate change, healthy air quality and clean water resources being the most obvious. The focus of the studies in the Richmond Laboratory is to provide fundamental insights into molecular processes that underlie some of the aforementioned global concerns, with a particular focus on understanding environmentally important processes that occur at water surfaces and aqueous-oil boundary layers.
Winnie Stachelberg is a long-time executive at the Center for American Progress. Previously she was the political director for the Human Rights Campaign.
Dr. Asmeret Berhe is a soil biogeochemist who studies climate change. She was born and did undergraduate education in Eritrea before receiving a master’s degree in political ecology from Michigan State and her PhD from UC Berkeley. She is a professor and assistant dean at UC Merced.The main goal of her research is to understand the effect of changing environmental conditions on vital soil processes, most importantly the cycling and fate of essential elements in the critical zone. She studies soil processes in systems experiencing natural and/or anthropogenic perturbation in order to understand fundamental principles governed by geomorphology, and contemporary modifications introduced by changes in land use and climate.
Meeting with Governors on 2021 Wildfires
The President and The Vice President meet with Governors to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen wildfire prevention, preparedness and response efforts, and hear firsthand about the ongoing impacts of the 2021 wildfire season, which are growing more severe.
From CNN:The virtual meeting will last an hour with governors whose states are experiencing wildfires and drought: Govs. Greg Gianforte of Montana, Jay Inslee of Washington, Gavin Newsom of California, Brad Little of Idaho, Kate Brown of Oregon, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.Biden and Harris will discuss efforts to strengthen wildfire prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response efforts, and will hear how an early and severe wildfire season is impacting residents and land in the states. The group is also expected to discuss funding and investing in wildland firefighters, including increasing pay for federal firefighters who are battling blazes, and extending hiring for temporary firefighters.
The White House on Friday will also announce two new interagency working groups pointed at the impact wildfires and extreme heat. Biden’s National Climate Task force, which is chaired by National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, will announce a Wildfire Resilience Interagency Working Group, and an Extreme Heat Interagency Working Group.
The Wildfire Resilience Interagency Group will be chaired by US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, while the Extreme Heat Interagency Working Group will be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Dr. Richard Spinrad, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan. There are 82 large fires burning in the West this week. Around 3.4 million acres have been burned in wildfires so far this year.
Energy Efficiency and Climate Justice
Exposure to pollution and lack of access to clean, affordable energy solutions has created economic and health disparities – particularly in Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities. What are the Biden administration’s policy priorities around environmental justice and pollution-free energy infrastructure? And how do we ensure all Americans have access to clean air, water, and sustainable housing?
The Hill will convene advocates and sustainable energy experts for a comprehensive discussion on environmental justice and climate priorities, moderated by Steve Clemons.
Speakers- Kim Foreman, Executive Director, Environmental Health Watch
- Brenda Mallory, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
- Ben Passer, Lead Director, Energy Access and Equity, Fresh Energy
- Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director, The Chisolm Legacy Project
- Adrianna Quintero, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Energy Foundation
- Flo McAfee, President, Summerland Studios
- Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Xochitl Torres Small to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and Robert F. Bonnie to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation
- Xochitl Torres Small, To be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
- Robert F. Bonnie, To be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation
Bonnie is currently serving as the USDA’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor, Climate.
21st Century Food Systems: Controlled Environment Agriculture’s Role in Protecting Domestic Food Supply Chains and Infrastructure
- Karim Giscombe, Chief Executive Officer, PLANT-AG, West Palm Beach, FL
- Aaron Gadouas, Managing Director, BC Ziegler & Company Investment Bank, Chicago, IL
- Edward Verbakel, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, VB Group and Atrium Agri Group, Netherlands
- Jason Kelley, General Manager, IBM Strategic Partners, Austin, TX
- Kevin Safrance, Executive Vice Chairman, Mastronardi Produce, Livonia, MI
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland To Join Ceremonial Protest Against Oil Pipelines On Sacred Lands
On Thursday, Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland, the first Native American to hold that position, will meet with indigenous climate activists who have brought a totem pole from Washington state to Washington D.C. The “Red Road to DC” activists made the journey in support of Native groups opposing projects such as the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Line 3 tar-sands pipeline being constructed in Minnesota.
Haaland is scheduled to participate in the 2 pm blessing ceremony for the 25-foot pole carved by the Lummi Nation, which will be followed by a press conference featuring tribal leaders, organizers, and Congressional representatives.
The Red Road to DC took the totem pole to Chaco Canyon, Standing Rock, Bears Ears National Monument, Black Hills, White Earth, and other sites along the way that are home to Native Americans and threatened by mining and fossil-fuel development.
Federal and state forces have been part of the industry-led effort to harass and intimidate the growing group of activists opposing the Line 3 pipeline.
The demands of the Red Road to DC activists are:
We call on President Biden and Congress to direct all federal agencies to require the meaningful engagement and consent of affected Native Nations, early in the planning process, and before a project is approved.Native Nations must be a part of the decision-making process. No more oil pipelines threatening water supplies without the consent of tribes. No more oil and gas drilling in ancient burial sites, without their permission. No more large-scale projects without tribes’ participation in planning and consent.
The U.S. must uphold the rights of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior & Informed Consent, as set forth by the United Nations.
Wealth for the Working Class: The Clean Energy Economy
The clean energy economy has seen robust growth in recent decades and now presents the opportunity for widespread wealth creation that benefits American small businesses, their workers, and consumers. It has the potential to create millions of good-paying jobs spread across tens of thousands of businesses while simultaneously lowering energy prices for consumers.
This hearing will focus on workforce development initiatives in the clean energy economy, discuss Congressional proposals regarding clean energy, and explore the potential for the growth this industry could unleash.
Witnesses- Leticia Colon De Mejias, Chief Executive Officer of Energy Efficiencies Solutions and Co-chair for the Building Performance Association, Energy Efficiencies Solutions
- James Hasselbeck , Director of Operations , ReVision Energy, Inc., South Portland, ME
- Samuel Gilchrist, Western Campaigns Director, Natural Resources Defense Council, Denver, CO
- Tom Greer, Proprietor and Owner, Hub City Brewing Co., Belen, NM, Testifying on behalf of the Consumer Energy Alliance
Examining the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
On Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. EDT, in room 1324 Longworth Hearing Room and online via Cisco Webex, the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife will hold a hybrid oversight hearing titled, “Examining the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” This hearing will also be streamed on the Committee’s YouTube.
Witnesses- David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- Dr. Don Cline, Associate Director, Water Resources, U.S. Geological Survey
- Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Stephen D. Guertin, Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service